How to Disassemble a Window Frame

Walk to the exterior of the home and place a ladder under the window, if needed, so you can access it. Insert the wedge end of a pry bar under the top outer edge of the trim on one side. Push down on the bar handle to detach the trim’s nails from the home. Work your way around the window to detach all of the trim work and place it aside in a safe location.

Go back inside the home and run a utility knife blade around the entire perimeter of the window frame to cut through any paint holding the trim in place.

Look at the inside of the trim to see if it wraps into the window opening, which means you have a sash stop strip. This is a thin piece of molding that runs around the inside perimeter of the main window trim and looks similar to shoe molding. Detach it using the pry bar.

Remove the wider interior trim from around the outer edge of the window frame by prying it off gently with the pry bar, just as you did with the other trim pieces.

Put on safety glasses and plug in a reciprocating saw. Insert the blade at the top left of the window frame where you see a small gap between the wall and the window. This gap was previously covered by the trim.

Squeeze the trigger to cut all the way down the side of the window, which breaks the nails holding the frame in place. Repeat the process on the right side to cut through those nails as well.

Exit the home and walk to the exterior side of the window. Ask another person to stand on the inside of the window. Push in on the window frame with firm force to dislodge it from the opening. The other person should pull as you push until the window frame detaches from the wall.

Lower the window frame to the floor inside the home.